


Plans and Promises

by KaeCooks



Series: Plans and Promises [4]
Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Casett, Gen, Stellaride, brettsey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:30:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25310128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaeCooks/pseuds/KaeCooks
Relationships: Stella Kidd/Kelly Severide, Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Series: Plans and Promises [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1832578
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

During their first firehouse meeting of November, Chief Boden reminded everyone at 51 to schedule a physical examination before the new year, so they would all be able to get it done before the end of January. 

After the meeting, Matt approached Sylvie, his phone in hand. “I’m calling the doctor’s office to schedule my physical before we get called out and I forget. You want to make an appointment together?” 

Sylvie nodded and Matt tapped the screen to start the call. They walked toward his office while he tried to find two open appointments together on a day that they didn’t work. He was able to get them appointments with different doctors at the same clinic in the same time slot two weeks into January. 

When he hung up, he wrote in the appointment on his desk calendar, then turned to his fiance, who was sitting on the cot behind him. She appeared to be deep in thought.

“What’s that look for?” Matt asked.

“Did we really just make a date out of a doctor’s appointment?” 

Matt chuckled. “I guess so,” he said. 

“Here I thought that was something that only married couples with too many kids did. You know, like Herrmann and Cindy.” 

“You mean you don’t want five kids?” he asked facetiously, moving to sit beside her.

“Darling, I love you, but not that much,” Brett answered playfully.

He leaned close and, with a considerably deeper voice, asked, “Then how much do you love me?” 

A wave of heat went straight to Sylvie’s core. She moved to shut the blinds and locked the door. Pushing him onto his back and crawling on top of him, she purred, “Let me show you.”  
_____________

After shift, Casey and Brett invited over Severide, Kidd, and Foster. It was decided that they would get together for supper and spend the night inside. The five of them were officially celebrating Matt and Sylvie’s engagement. 

In the two weeks Brett and Casey had been engaged, they hadn’t really gotten a start on planning. They were thinking about a date in early October of the following year, but they wanted to select and secure a venue before they set anything in stone. 

Matt and Sylvie were ready for company before noon, although they weren’t expecting anyone for another few hours. Shortly after noon, the two of them sat down to eat lunch. They’d kept things simple and ordered Chinese takeout.

“You know,” Sylvie said, “If someone would have asked me five years ago about my plans for a wedding, I probably would have thought that I would be marrying Antonio and Gabby would have been my maid of honor.”

Matt swallowed the mouthful he was working on and smiled sadly. Five years ago, he and Gabby had finally gotten married. They had Louie. “The difference of a few years, yeah?” 

Knowing what he was probably thinking about, Sylvie quietly asked, “Have you talked to her since she came back for that fundraiser?”

“No. She left a voicemail the morning she left, but I never returned the call,” he responded, his voice already back to its normal tone.

“Oh? What did she say?” 

“Just that she had fun and if I felt like spending my next furlough in a disaster area, I should call her.”

The conversation fizzled out for a few minutes as the two finished their meals.

“Matt,” Sylvie said quietly, staring into her now empty carton, “What happens if Gabby comes back?” 

Matt sighed. He knew this conversation would come up eventually, but this was still hard. He scooted his chair closer to hers, their knees touching. He took her hands in his. “Sylvie,” he said quietly. 

She looked up at him, a tear rolling down her cheek. 

“Sylvie, baby, I love you. Never, ever doubt that, please,” Matt choked out the last word. 

“But you loved her first,” she sniffled. She should be able to keep herself together, but her emotions were flowing freely. She trusted Matt, and they needed to have this conversation, but she was scared and, try as she might, she just couldn’t rein it in. 

She sobbed harder, and Matt pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. He gave her a minute, rubbing her back and placing small kisses on her neck and cheek until she quieted and her breathing evened out. 

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, leaning back to look at him. “I shouldn’t question you.” 

His hands slid down her arms to join her hands once more. “You don’t need to apologize,” he said softly. “We should have talked about this sooner. That’s on me.” He paused, kissing her forehead. When he met her eyes again, he could still see her worry. “I loved her, but that’s in the past. I would never have asked you on a date, Sylvie, let alone to marry me, if I weren’t over Gabby. That wouldn’t have been fair to anyone, especially not you, and it wouldn’t have been right. I could never hurt you like that because you, Sylvie Brett, are my everything. And this thing-” he thumbed the ring on her finger, “- is a promise. It’s a promise that I am going to love you - and only you - with everything I’ve got. Nothing’s going to change that.”

Sylvie’s heart swelled and then she was crying again, but this time from some combination of relief and happiness. She released his hands and wrapped her arms around him. “I love you, Matt.” 

“I love you, too, Sylvie,” he replied.  
___

After holding each other for some time, Sylvie spoke. “Matt?”

“Yeah?”

“Can -” she cut herself off. Was she really about to ask this? She took a deep breath and started over, “Can we call Gabby? And, you know, tell her?”

“Is that something you want to do?”

“I think so,” she said carefully, “When she came back, we picked back up like she’d never been gone, and you, well, it sounded like you two parted on good terms.”

Matt nodded. “I’d like that,” he said.

“If she’s cool with it, do you think maybe -” Brett stopped herself again, watching her fiance carefully, “Maybe I could ask her to be a bridesmaid?”

“Whatever you want to do, love. I’m okay with it.”

“Should I text her now? Just say to give me a call when she can?”

“Sure,” Matt said. They shared a smile and a quick kiss. Realizing they still had to clean up lunch, Matt grabbed the containers and threw them away while Sylvie pulled out her phone to text Gabby.   
_____________

Shortly before five, a knock sounded on the apartment door. Outside, Severide held two six packs in each hand, Stella was balancing a cake on top of two gallons of ice cream, and Foster was right behind them with three large pizzas.

“Oh my goodness, you three didn’t have to bring all this!” Sylvie exclaimed when she opened the door.

Stella came in and placed her load on the table, Severide and Foster close behind her. “What else are friends for? Tonight, we’re celebrating you!”

Sylvie smiled at her friends and started getting plates, napkins, and silverware from the kitchen.   
_____  
After supper, the five gathered in the living room. They pulled out some cards and started up a game of rummy, each going through the beer at a leisurely pace. Around seven, Sylvie finished the last of her first beer, she got up to put the small armful of empty bottles in the kitchen. On her way back to the living room, her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She stopped short of the door out of the kitchen, pulled her phone out and checked the caller ID. 

She swiped the screen to answer it. “Disaster must have taken the weekend off,” she joked, pulling herself up to sit on the kitchen counter. “I wasn’t expecting you to be able to call so soon.”

“Oh you know,” Dawson replied, “Sometimes it does that. How’s life?”

Sylvie could hear the smile in her friend’s voice. She hoped they would still be friends after this conversation. “Great!” she said, trying to stay cheery. “How are you?

“I’m good. There are so many awesome people here. I love that I get to do so much, and I love my team.”

“And I’m sure they love you,” Brett said. 

“They’re great, but none of them have your flair.” Gabby said, her voice more subdued. “I miss you, partner.”

“I miss you too,” Sylvie said. Then, deciding to get the hard part over with, she continued, “Actually, assuming you don’t hate me when I tell you, I have an excuse for you to come back and visit.”

“Brett, you’re one of my best friends. 2,000 miles between us hasn’t changed that. What could you possibly -” she stopped suddenly, a realization dawning on her. “Wait,” she said, “Sylvie Brett, are you with Matt?”


	2. Chapter 2

Sylvie spoke timidly, “If, by ‘with,’ you mean ‘engaged to,’ then yes, I am.” 

“Oh my God,” Dawson said. “I can’t believe it.”

Sylvie was holding her breath, too scared to say anything. After a minute with no response, though, she found her voice. “Gabby?” 

“Are you happy?” Dawson asked, finally.

“Very,” Sylvie replied.

“Then I’m happy for you,” Gabby said, assuredly, “Now that I think about it, I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather see him with, not like I get a say in that anyway.”

Sylvie breathed a sigh of relief. “So you’re not mad?”

“Mad? God, no. Sylvie, the news came as a shock, is all. I’m so happy for the two of you!”

“It is so good to hear you say that.” Sylvie never thought that telling your best friend that you were marrying her ex-husband could go over well, but somehow it did.

“So when’s the big day?” Gabby asked, excitement evident in her tone.

“Depends. When can you get away from saving the world for a week?”

“I’d have to check with some people. Why?”

“Because getting married would suck if I couldn’t have my best friend by my side.”

“Aww, Brett,” Gabby said, hearing the small pout in her friend’s voice. “Does Matt know you’re asking me about this?”

“Yeah. We talked about it, and he’s totally behind it. He’s asking Severide to be his best man. Theoretically, I should ask Kidd to be my maid of honor so the two of them can be paired up, but I can’t pick her or you or Foster over each other. I love all three of you the same, so I’m asking all three of you and Matt and I will figure out how that works later.”

Gabby laughed at Sylvie’s babbling. “You have a heart of gold, Sylvie. Never change.”

Sylvie smiled and, in a teasing manner, replied, “Coming from the one who gave up a career with the CFD to live in a disaster area.”

Just then, Matt walked in. He spotted Sylvie on the counter. “There you are,” he said. 

Sylvie pointed at the phone. To Gabby, she said, “Hey, do you want to talk to him?”

“If he’s right there, I’d love to,” Gabby replied.

“Oh, and Stella’s here. Make sure to leave some time for her or she’ll never forgive you,” Sylvie said.

“Okay,” Dawson laughed. “I love you, partner.”

“Love you, too,” Brett said, smiling. “Here’s Matt.” 

Before she handed it off, she held the phone to her chest.

“How’d she take it?” Matt whispered.

“She’s going to see if she can get a week off to come be my bridesmaid,” Sylvie whispered back, beaming. 

Matt smiled and took the phone from her. “Hey, stranger,” he said into the phone.

“I know it’s not my place anymore, but I still never thought I’d be happy hearing you were getting married again, especially when the person you’re getting married to is one of my best friends.”

Matt chuckled. Gabby always had been blunt. “At least I don’t have to wonder what you think.”

Gabby laughed. “Congratulations, Matt, really. You two deserve each other.”

“Thanks, Gabby. It means a lot.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied. “Make sure you take good care of her. Just because there’s 2000 miles between us, doesn’t mean that I won’t come kick your ass if you hurt her.”

“Don’t worry, Kidd and Foster are keeping a close eye on me,” he joked. Then, more seriously, “You know I’d never do anything to hurt someone I love.”

“I know,” Gabby replied quietly, sincerely. After a beat, she said, “So Kidd’s there?”

“And Severide and Foster.”

“Can I talk to them?”

“Of course,” Matt said, and he walked out to the living room, tapping the icon for speaker phone. “You’ve got them.”

“Hey, guys,” Gabby’s voice projected.

“Oh. My. God.” Stella squealed. “Gabriela Dawson, is that you?”

Matt came up behind Brett, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You didn’t tell her?” he whispered in her ear, referring to Kidd.

Sylvie angled herself to face him. “I wanted to give you two time to talk without her coming in and tackling you,” she whispered back, “because you know that’s what would have happened.”

Matt laughed and leaned in to kiss her, then asked Severide if he wanted to step outside for a cigar. 

Severide said bye to Dawson, then hopped up to join his friend.  
__________  
Once they were outside and had gotten their cigars lit, Severide leaned against the wall next to Casey. “So,” he asked, “How much does Dawson know?”

“All of it,” Casey replied. “Sylvie asked her to come be a bridesmaid.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Severide asked incredulously.

Matt shrugged. “Gabby and I didn’t work. She had to do her thing and I had to do mine, but I have no reason to interfere in her and Sylvie’s friendship.” He took another long drag off his cigar. “In fact, I’m glad that this isn’t going to change things between the two of them.”

Severide shook his head. “You’re a better man than I am, Casey.”

Casey elbowed his friend playfully. “That’s the goal, isn’t it?”

Severide smiled. “Don’t tell Stella. I don’t need you stealing my girl from me.”

“I don’t plan on it,” Casey replied. “But I would steal you from her for the wedding.”

Severide choked on the puff he’d just taken. “What?” he choked out before dissolving into a coughing fit.

“Sorry,” Casey said, grimacing. When Severide’s coughing had subsided, he continued, “That came out wrong.”

“Yeah, no shit!” Severide exclaimed. “It sounded like you’re asking me to go gay with you.”

“What I meant to ask was this,” Casey said, turning to face his friend. “Will you be my best man?”

“Of course,” Severide replied. “You got a date you’re looking at yet?”

Matt shook his head. “We’re waiting to see when Gabby can get a week off to come back.”

There was a break in their conversation, and they just watched traffic go by.

“Hey, Casey,” Severide broke the silence.

“Yeah?”

“Could I steal Brett after next shift?”

“Why?” Casey joked, “Did I inspire you to finally make an honest woman out of Kidd?”

Severide chuckled. “Actually, yes.”

“Took you long enough.” 

“I know.” Severide took one last drag off of his cigar, then put it out, grinding it on the sidewalk and tossing it in a nearby trash can. 

Casey followed suit, and slapped his friend on the shoulder. “Good for you, man.” 

“Thanks,” Severide replied, and the men went back inside.  
_____

When the guys came back in from smoking their cigars, the women were just wrapping up the call with Dawson. They all promised to talk again soon. 

The friends spent the next few hours watching videos and conversing. Shortly after midnight, Foster split to go to use the toilet, and Sylvie took her phone to the bedroom to charge. Stella followed her. 

Inside the bedroom, Stella cleared her throat, and Sylvie jumped. 

“Jeez, I didn’t know you were following me.”

“Sorry,” Stella said. “I wanted to talk to you away from everyone else.”

“Sure, what’s up?” Sylvie asked, then turned to look at her friend, whose earlier celebratory spirit had taken a nosedive, seemingly instantaneously, and she was now in tears. Sylvie plopped on the bed and patted next to her. “Stella?” she asked, her voice filled with concern. 

“I’m sorry,” Stella choked out, as she took a seat on the bed. “I didn’t want to ruin tonight.” She dropped her head into her hands.

Sylvie enveloped her friend in a tight hug and let her cry for a couple minutes. When the sobbing subsided, Stella leaned her head on Sylvie’s shoulder. 

Sylvie left one arm around her friend’s shoulders, and let the other one fall to her knee. “Talk to me, Stella,” she said softly.

“You remember how I was freaking out last week because I was late?” 

Sylvie nodded.

“I went to run errands after work today and Kelly didn’t want to go, so I bought a test while I was out, and I slipped into the bathroom at the market before I came home -” she trailed off.

“Longest two minutes of your life, am I right?” Sylvie asked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

“It was positive,” Stella blurted.

“Oh,” Sylvie said. “Have you told Severide?”

Stella shook her head, tearing up again. “He’s so great with kids, but he and I - we’ve talked about this, and we’ve always said that it was something for other people. I’m - I’m afraid that, if I tell him, I’m going to lose him. I’m afraid he’s gonna leave, and I can’t handle that. I j-just don’t know what to do. Tonight, I cracked open a beer with the rest of you, but - you remember when I took Kelly’s first empty bottle to the kitchen?” She watched as Sylvie nodded, then continued, “I dumped it and filled it up with water. Every time I went to ‘get a new one,’ I was just refilling the bottle I had with more water, and I’ve just been trying to keep myself together, but I can’t anymore.”

“I’m glad you’re telling me this, Stella. That’s a lot to carry, even for just a few hours,” she said, rubbing Stella’s back. “Severide loves you. He wouldn’t leave you over something so small, comparatively. You two have survived so much. You’ve gone through so many crappy situations, and you’re still together. Just tell him. You two will find a way through this, I promise.”

Stella nestled into her friend for a few minutes, until they heard footsteps in the hall. Foster popped her head around the corner. “The guys said you two came back here,” she said, then taking in the situation, “but it looks like I’m interrupting something. Is everything okay?”

“It will be.” Kidd said, extending her arm, “Come, join us.”

Foster shot Sylvie a questioning look, but the look on her face said not to press it, so she sidled in by Stella and wrapped her arms around her friend. While she felt a little left out, she knew one of them would tell her soon, and she focused on just being there until they did.


	3. Chapter 3

As Foster, Severide, and Kidd were getting ready to head home after sleeping over at Casey and Brett’s, Foster brought up having a girls’ night after next shift. 

“Brett and I have plans after next shift,” Matt jumped in.

“We do?” Sylvie asked. 

“Yeah, I thought I told you about it, but I must’ve forgotten. Shouldn’t take more than a couple hours, though.”

Sylvie shot him a questioning look, but decided to go along with it. “I guess I’ll join you guys when we’re done,” she said. 

The friends said their goodbyes. When the door closed behind them, Sylvie turned to her fiance. “What aren’t you telling me?” she asked suspiciously.

“Severide asked me if he could take you ring shopping after next shift.”

“Oh my gosh,” Sylvie gasped. “I don’t know if I can do this.” She moved to sit on the couch. 

Thinking he did something wrong, Matt quickly moved after her, “I’m sorry, Sylvie, I was going to clear it with you, but -”

“No, it’s not that,” Sylvie rushed to cut him off. 

He sat beside her. “Then what is it?” He asked, brows furrowed.

Sylvie closed her eyes and bit her lip. When she looked at him again, she said, “Before I tell you this, you have to promise you’re not going to tell a soul.”

Matt motioned with his fingers as he said, “Cross my heart. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Stella’s pregnant,” Sylvie said quietly. “She hasn’t told Severide yet.”

“Oh,” Matt said. “When did this happen?”

“Stella just told me last night. She didn’t even tell Foster. Poor girl’s terrified.”

“What’s she so afraid of?”

“She’s afraid Severide’s gonna leave her.”

“Come on, Severide’s crazy for her.”

“That’s what I told her. When she told me about it last night, I told her just to tell him. But what if she doesn’t before next shift? What if I accidentally let it slip to Severide?”

“Everything will work out, babe. Don’t worry about it too much.”  
__________

Next shift rolled around before Sylvie was ready. Matt gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder as they were walking into the firehouse. “It’ll work out,” he said.

She gave him a small smile before she broke off toward the lockers and he went to his office.

Stella was by the lockers when Brett walked in. “You tell him yet?” she asked.

“Tell who what?” Foster asked, walking in behind Brett.

Sylvie grimaced and mouthed “sorry” to Stella.

Stella shrugged. “You remember when you walked in on me and Brett the other night?”

“Yeah.”

“I promise, I wasn’t trying to keep some secret from you, Foster,” Stella said, then she filled in her friend on the situation, finishing by answering Brett’s question, “and I haven’t worked up the guts to tell him yet.”

“Oh girl, you need that night out even more now. We’ll find somewhere that doesn’t bank on alcohol to have fun, though.”

“I freakin love you guys,” Stella said, pulling the other two into a tight hug.

“Brett, you still in after your thing with Casey?”

“Of course I am!” Brett exclaimed.

“What was it that he ‘forgot’ to tell you anyway?” Stella asked.

“Uhh,” Brett hesitated. Why did she have to be such a horrible liar?

Luckily for her, the bells went off, and they ran off to their rigs.   
_____

It was a busy day for 51. When shift finally ended, Sylvie went into Matt’s office. 

“Hey, beautiful,” he greeted her.

She scoffed. “Like this? Hardly. I’m disgusting.”

“Well I still think you’re beautiful.”

She sighed and smiled at him. “Such a charmer, you are.”

“What’s up?”

“Could you tell Severide I’m going to jump through the shower here, then I’ll be ready to go? Kidd is in his office right now, otherwise I would.”

“Yeah, I’ll wait for Foster to distract her.”

“You’re the greatest.”

He pulled her down to kiss her. “I love you.”

“Love you, too. Talk to you tonight,” she said, and went off to the showers.  
_________

Half an hour later, she was clean and dressed. She stopped at her locker then checked her phone. She had a message from Severide saying he would be waiting in his car. She went out to meet him.

“Thanks for doing this, Brett. I really appreciate it.”

“I’m glad I can help,” she replied, and they drove off. Once they’d been on the road for a couple minutes, Sylvie asked, “So, I know you don’t have the ring yet, but have you thought about how you’re going to ask her?”

“Uh, yeah, actually. I was thinking I’d take her out on a boat, bring along a picnic or something. Just spend the day on the water. Ask her when it felt right.”

“She’ll love that!” 

Severide grinned. “I hope so. We’ve been together for years. We’ve been living together for forever. I’m ready to settle down, officially, and spend the rest of our lives together.”

“Any kids in that future?” Sylvie asked, testing the waters since it was a natural transition.

“Dunno,” Kelly shrugged. “We’ve talked about it some. There was a time in my life when it was an exciting prospect. It’s really hard to picture myself with them at this point, but I guess anything can happen. I don’t think I’d be opposed, if it does. Stella would be a great mom.” He found a parking spot in a ramp near a series of jewelry stores and the two friends entered.  
____  
After they’d found the perfect ring and Severide ordered one in Stella’s size, Sylvie asked him to drop her off at home. Matt was pouring over some blueprints when she got inside.

“You’re home early,” he observed, standing to give her a hug. 

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. “Just decided to stop in and dump my shift gear before I went to meet the girls. I feel like I’ve barely gotten to see you today.”

“I guess we’ll have to make up to each other when you get home,” he whispered, brushing his lips against her ear.

Sylvie hummed appreciatively. “I’d better go before Kidd and Foster think I forgot about them,” she said.

He gave her one last kiss. She grabbed her keys and purse and went to meet Kidd and Foster.   
_________

“There she is!” Stella exclaimed when Sylvie walked into the coffee shop. 

Sylvie smiled and waved at her friends. She put her order in at the counter and paid. She gratefully took the large cup from the barista and sat by her friends. “Hey, guys,” she greeted.

“Brett, back me up on this,” Stella said. She leaned in closer to her friend and lowered her voice. “You see that girl over there?” Stella flicked her eyes toward a fair-skinned brunette in a window booth who appeared to be engrossed in a book. “Foster hasn’t been able to stop looking at her. Tell her she should just go say hi already!”

Brett took in the woman. She was petite. Her short, brown hair was parted far to the side. She had grey eyes and some light freckles. “Oh my goodness,” Brett said. “Foster, she’s adorable. You have to go introduce yourself.”

Emily rolled her eyes at her friends. “Fine, but only because I know you two won’t let me leave until I do.” She got up and moved toward the booth. She could feel her friends’ eyes on her back, but she tried to ignore it.

Having seen movement close to her, the other woman looked up. Her eyes got wide and she bit her lower lip. Quickly grabbing her bookmark to keep her spot, she returned her attention to Emily. 

Foster spoke first. “H-hi,” she said. “I, I, uh.” She didn’t know what to say. “I’m Emily.”

“Hi,” the other woman said. She had a soft voice. “I’m Skylar. My friends call me Skye.”

“I just saw that you were reading Jodi Picoult,” Foster said. “She’s good.”

“Yeah, one of my favorites,” Skye replied. “I like how she keeps switching the POV. Keeps it interesting.”

Foster gestured at the booth seat opposite Skye. “Mind if I -”

“Uh, yeah, please,” Skye said, and Emily sat. 

Foster glanced back at her friends. They gave her huge smiles and a thumbs up. 

Skye followed her gaze. “Friends of yours?”

“Yeah. On the left is Stella, then Sylvie on the right.”

There was a small break in the conversation. “So,” Skye said, “Emily. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a paramedic. How about you?”

“I teach preschool.”

“Full moons, am I right?” Foster joked.

Skye smiled shyly. “Yeah. I imagine you see more,” she paused, thinking of how to phrase it, “interesting situations in your line of work.”

Foster nodded. “There’s some crazy people out there.”

There was another pause in their conversation. Skye pulled a piece of paper and a pen from her purse, writing something quickly, then sliding it toward Emily. “Here,” she said, “this is my number. I should let you get back to your friends, but I’d love to get to know you better.”

Emily smiled. “You got another one of those in there?” she asked, referring to the paper. 

Skye rustled around in her purse, then slid another piece of paper to Emily. 

Foster thanked her, then scribbled down her name and number. “It was really good to meet you, Skye,” she said, handing her back the piece of paper.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Skye replied, thanking Emily as she turned back to her book.

When Foster got back to her friends’ table, she said, “I’m hungry. Let’s find somewhere to eat.”  
____  
The three decided on a Mexican restaurant down the street. During supper, Foster filled them in on Skye. Then, they talked a little about some ideas for Sylvie and Matt’s wedding. 

The waiter came with their bill. Foster took it, and the three got ready to go. 

“Wait,” Sylvie said. “Stella, when are you going to tell Severide about the baby?”

“Yeah, girl, you need to tell him soon,” Foster chimed in.

Stella rubbed her forehead. “I know,” she sighed. “I just don’t know how to go about it.”

“Stop overthinking, friend,” Sylvie offered. 

“We know this isn’t easy, but that man loves you,” Foster encouraged.

“He’s not going to leave you,” Sylvie said. “That’s just the hormones talking.”

Stella steeled herself, sitting more upright. “You two are right,” she conceded. “I’ll tell him as soon as I get home.”

“Atta girl!” Foster said, patting her on the back. 

The three walked out. Brett gave Stella a ride home, since she lived closer to her than Foster.

“You know, Brett,” Stella joked on the way home, “You and Casey should get busy, then our babies could grow up together. If you get a start on it now, you’re probably only six weeks behind.”

“Funny,” Sylvie replied. “Matt and I definitely want kids, but we want to get the wedding out of the way first. One thing at a time, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. Worth a shot, though.” Stella flashed a smile, then she sat quietly, staring out the window. “I’ve gotta be real with you, Brett,” she said finally, “I can run into burning buildings without a single thought. That doesn’t scare me at all, but this,” she put a hand on her lower abdomen, “terrifies me.”

Sylvie pulled into the parking lot behind Severide and Kidd’s apartment. Once she had the car in park, she put a hand on Stella’s shoulder. “That just means you care,” she said. “Stella, you’re going to be a great mom. You’ve got an incredible man by your side, you’ll have all of 51 behind you, and you know Cindy is probably going to make it her personal mission to come help you through the first few months.”

Stella smiled and leaned across the console to hug her friend. “What would I do without you?”

Sylvie gave her a gentle squeeze. “I’ll keep my phone on me. Let me know how it goes,” she said. “You’ve got this.”

“Thanks, Brett.” Stella said, then she took a deep breath and got out of the car.

Brett watched until Stella got inside, then pulled away, heading for home.


	4. Chapter 4

Stella shut the apartment door behind her. She called out, “Kelly?”

He popped up from where he’d been lying on the couch. “Over here,” he said, and sat up to make room for her. 

She sat beside him and took his hands in hers. “Kelly, I gotta tell you something.” 

He gave her hands a gentle squeeze, encouraging her to go on.

“I’m pregnant.” Stella bit her lip.

“You’re kidding,” Severide replied, studying his girlfriend, sure this was some sort of joke. When she started tearing up and shook her head, he knew two things. First: she’d been serious and he just royally screwed up, and second: he needed to make up ground. Fast. Unfortunately for him, words weren’t his strong suit, and they were failing him even worse right now. His head was reeling.

She retracted her hands from his and wrapped them around herself. “I’m sorry, Kelly, I know that this isn’t something we were planning for, but I can’t back out of this, and I’m not going to. If you want me to - to move out, I’ll understand, and we’ll make things work at work,” she trailed off, looking up at Kelly for the first time in five minutes. He was staring at her, opening his mouth like he was going to say something, only to snap it back shut a second later. Open. Shut. Open. Shut. “For the love of God, Kelly, please say something.”

Severide sighed and ran his hands over his face. He chastized himself, Pull yourself together, idiot. Your girl needs you and you’re too wrapped up in your own damn thoughts.

Stella, interpreting Severide’s silence for disapproval, stood. “I- I guess I’ll find somewhere else to stay tonight.” She turned to walk away.

Severide stood and grabbed for her hand, catching her by the wrist. “No,” he choked out. “Stay.”

She turned to face him, tears in her eyes, still waiting for some sort of assurance.

Swallowing hard, he whispered, “I’m not going anywhere.” He pulled her close and enveloped her in a tight embrace. She succumbed to her tears and cried on his shoulder. He kept a tight hold on her, gently swaying until she had calmed.  
____

Later that night, they were lying in bed, spooned against each other, Kelly with his hand splayed across Stella’s abdomen. 

She put her hand over his. “I’m sorry for earlier,” she said, rolling to face him. “I was so afraid of how you were going to react. I didn’t want to lose you.”

“I’m sorry, too,” he replied, sitting upright. She followed suit, and he took her hands in his. “You know my history, Stella. One girl after another. And then there’s you.” He gave her a small smile. “If I’m being honest, I haven’t thought about being a dad since before Shay died. That’s closer to ten years ago now than it’s not. Even then, that wouldn’t have been the same. It would have been my genes, my kid, but Shay and I - we were just best friends. It would have been her and some other woman raising the kid. Now - it’s mine, it’s ours. It’s a lot to take in.”

“We’re gonna figure this out.” Stella squeezed his hands. “You’re gonna be a great dad, Kelly.”

He smiled at her. “I, uh, I had a plan for this, but I need you to know I’m serious about this,” he said. “Brett and Casey didn’t have plans after work today.”

Stella tilted her head, giving him a questioning look. What did Brett and Casey have to do with this?

“I asked Brett to come with me to go ring shopping.” Looking her in the eye, he said, “I love you. I know where I’d be without you, and that’s a place I never want to be again. I don’t have the ring yet, but I’m going to ask anyway. Stella, will you marry me?”

“Oh, Kelly,” she said, tearing up again. Was the WHOLE pregnancy going to make her keep being this freaking emotional? “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”

He chuckled. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes, of course!” she replied, leaning in to kiss him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he murmured against her lips, wrapping his arms around her and leaning both of them back onto the bed so he could show her just how much he meant it.  
____

Brett woke up early the next morning and grabbed her phone off of the night stand. She got up and started a pot of coffee. She checked her phone as the coffee began to trickle into the pot. There still weren't any messages or missed calls from Kidd. She hoped that meant everything went well. Once enough coffee was brewed, she filled her mug and went to sit in the dining room. She grabbed her journal from the stack of things they kept on the table and wrote in it until Matt joined her half an hour later.

She finished her thought, then closed the notebook and put it back on the stack. “Have you heard from Severide?”

“Not since we talked right after shift yesterday, why?”

“Stella said she was going to share the big news with him when I dropped her off. I told her to let me know how it went, but haven’t heard anything.”

“If neither of us has heard anything, it’s probably fine.”

“That’s what I was hoping.”

Matt set his mug down on the table. “Can I get a proper good morning now?” he joked.

Sylvie blushed. “Sorry,” she said, standing to give him a hug. “Good morning.” 

He smiled and kissed her. “You know, that’s what I love about you, Sylvie Brett.”

“What? That I totally forget about you because my mind is too busy elsewhere?”

“No. You care about people. You’re a little extra like that,” he replied, winking at her. “Kidd was probably your first thought this morning, wasn’t she?”

Brett smiled sheepishly. “Right after coffee.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, giving her another kiss, then went to make breakfast. 

Sylvie checked her phone again and sighed. A watched pot doesn’t boil, Sylvie, she told herself. She went to use the restroom then set the table and refilled her coffee. By then, Matt had the eggs, bacon, and toast ready.  
___

After breakfast, she let herself check her phone again. There was a message there, but it wasn’t from Kidd. 

Matt saw Sylvie frowning at her phone. “Something wrong?”

“Less wrong for us than for some,” she replied softly. Seeing his confused expression, she explained, “Gabby texted. There was another bad earthquake.”

“Is she okay?” 

“Yeah, but she says she won’t be able to come back any time soon.”

“I’m glad she’s not hurt, at least.”

“I guess we’ll just have to get married without her,” Sylvie said. “It’s probably less weird like this, anyway.”

Matt shrugged, then nodded. “I didn’t want to say anything,” he admitted. “I’m just glad that our relationship didn’t hurt your friendship.”

“You’re a good man, Casey,” Brett said, moving to give him a hug. Then, gesturing at the dishes, she said, “Let’s take care of these.”

“As you wish,” Matt replied, picking up his plate and following Sylvie to the kitchen.  
___  
Later that day, there was a knock on their door. Sylvie went to answer it, since Matt was busy with some blueprints for a small construction job. Stella and Severide were there. Sylvie welcomed them in, letting Matt know he should come join them.

“Sorry I never texted you last night,” Kidd said, pulling Sylvie aside while the guys exchanged greetings. 

“I take it everything went okay?” 

Stella nodded.

“What brings you two here?” Matt asked.

“What? Can’t we just have a friendly surprise visit?” Severide joked.

“Kelly,” Kidd chastized. “We wanted to talk to you before shift, Captain.”

“Ah, official business, then. What can I do for you?” Casey asked as the four of them took seats around the living room.

“I’m sure Brett told you,” Kidd said, shooting her friend an accusatory look, “Kelly and I are expecting.”

“She did,” Casey confirmed, as Brett smiled sheepishly, “Let us be the first to congratulate the two of you.”

Severide and Kidd smiled their thanks. “Casey, we wanted to tell you since Stella doesn’t want to move off of truck until she has to-”

“But,” Kidd took over from Kelly, “we didn’t want to tell Boden or the others until we’re past the first trimester, at least.”

Casey nodded knowingly. “I can appreciate that,” he said, a twinge of sadness in his voice. “Kidd, you let me know if you ever feel like you can’t do something. We’ll keep you around as long as we can.”

She thanked him. Severide shared the news of his semi-impromptu proposal and asked Brett and Casey if they would be witnesses for them the following weekend. 

“You just needed an excuse to beat me to the altar, didn’t you, Severide?” Casey jested. 

“Hey,” Severide replied, raising his hands defensively, “We’ve been together longer than you and Brett. It’s only right.”

“Does that mean you’re expecting us to start popping kids behind you?” Casey fired back. Then, turning to his fiance, “How do you feel about that, babe?”

Stella and Sylvie were both snickering at the friendly banter between their men. “Oh, we talked about it, already,” Sylvie replied.

“But your girl is a fun hater. Said she wanted to get married first,” Stella chimed in.

“You heard it, Severide,” Matt said, shrugging, “I can’t argue with my girl.”

The friends shared a laugh, then chatted for a little longer before Severide and Kidd decided to head home.  
____

“Can we talk about the wedding?” Matt asked when they sat down for supper that night.

“Sure,” Sylvie replied through a mouthful of food. “What’s up?”

“Originally, we were waiting for Gabby to let us know when she was coming back to set a date, but now that she can’t make it, I thought maybe we could move forward with this?”

“Of course! Do you think Herrmann will let us have it at Molly’s?”

“Oh yeah. That won’t be a problem. How does March sound?”

“Early or late March?”

“Early?”

“That would give us a little over three months to get everything done,” Sylvie said. 

“That’s enough time, don’t you think?” Matt asked. “If we keep it simple?”

“Definitely,” she agreed. “I’ll have enough time to find a dress, we won’t really need much for decorations, and maybe the weather will be starting to be nice.” 

The couple shared a smile and soon finished their meal. Dishes were cleaned and put away, then they went to take a shower.   
___  
Matt got back into the bedroom first and was in the process of pulling on a pair of boxer briefs when Sylvie came in.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” she asked, pressing her bare form against his.

“I was going to put on pajamas, but you appear to have different ideas,” he replied, letting the underwear drop to the floor. 

“With all this wedding talk, I was thinking we could practice what we’re going to do after we’re officially married.”

Needing no more convincing, Matt scooped her up, and she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her to the bed.


	5. Chapter 5

For the most part, Severide and Kidd’s wedding was simple. Brett and Foster had dug through their closets to figure out which dresses matched best. They discovered they both had navy dresses in two different styles. Foster’s was a spaghetti strapped v-neck. The top fit comfortably, and the bottom was much like a pencil skirt, stopping just above her knees. Brett’s dress was an off-the-shoulder that fit snugly on top, then flowed loosely to her knees from her waist. Stella decided to go buy a dress for the occasion. She’d found a simple, white, floor-length, halter-top dress. 

“Ready for this?” Brett asked Kidd, putting the finishing touches on her makeup.

“Ready as I’m going to be,” Kidd replied, adjusting her dress for what felt like the hundredth time. “I am so glad I only had to wait two weeks. Any more than that and I probably would’ve gone bridezilla on someone.”

“Good thing we don’t have to find out,” Foster said, pinning one last stubborn hair into place. "Haven't you been through this before?"

"Yes but no," Stella sighed. "Grant and I eloped even faster than this. . . And back then, I didn't have pregnancy hormones messin' with my head."

Brett’s phone vibrated. “Matt says he and Severide are on their way. We should probably get going.”

The three women hopped into Foster’s car and drove down to the courthouse. The men were waiting for them there. 

Half an hour later, they were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Severide, although Stella opted to keep her maiden name. For tonight, they were going to go home and spend the 36 hours they had until next shift embracing the official beginning of the rest of their lives. . . and probably breaking the bed.

Brett, Casey, and Foster congratulated their friends, wishing them well until next shift. Foster drove Brett and Casey home, then she went to meet Skye at the movie theatre.  
___  
As soon as he closed and locked the apartment door behind them, Matt pressed Sylvie against the wall, kissing her passionately. “Can you believe,” he asked, nipping at her ear, “that we get to get married in just over three months?”

Sylvie pushed his jacket off and pulled him back in for another kiss, then started working on his belt. “Can’t. Wait,” she panted.

Matt picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. “Me either,” he growled, pressing her back against the wall.

Sylvie pulled back. “Take me to bed, Matt,” she commanded, then pressed their lips together again.

It wasn’t easy finding his way across the apartment with her face attached to his, but he managed to get them to the bedroom, where he deposited her on the bed and lowered himself on top of her.  
____

They lay in a tangle of limbs later, Sylvie drawing circles with her fingers through his chest hair. 

He pressed a kiss into her forehead. “I am so ready to start this life together.”

She smiled up at him. “You realize the only thing changing is some paperwork, right?” she teased. “But me too. I can’t wait to call you my husband.”

He winked at her. “Maybe we should have talked to the judge while we were there today.”

“And have the same anniversary as our best friends? Uh, no.”

“Would that be better or worse than having kids at the same time?” Matt asked, more seriously now.

“Definitely worse,” Sylvie replied. “I think it would be really cool to have our kids grow up together, but Foster would kill me if Kidd and I were out on maternity at the same time.” 

“I have a feeling if I had to get Foster’s permission to have kids with you, we’d never be able to, because she’d never want to give up her partner.”

“You’re not wrong,” Sylvie said, giggling. “I adore Foster, but I am so excited to start a family with you someday soon. There’s no way she’s keeping me from that future.”

“Soon,” he replied, imagining her with a swollen stomach, picturing what they would look like holding their theoretical baby for the first time. An overwhelming feeling of euphoria washed over him. He squeezed his fiance tightly and pressed a kiss into her temple, and she nestled even closer to him. 

Soon couldn’t come soon enough.  
_____

Two days after their courthouse wedding, Severide and Kidd walked into the Firehouse like they would any other day. 

“Look at this!” Foster called across the common room, “The newlyweds made it on time!”

“The newlyweds?” Mouch said, craning around from his spot on the couch to look at Foster, then he turned back to Severide and Kidd.

“You guys got married and you didn’t tell us?” Herrmann accused.

“It was kind of a fast decision. We were going to tell you all, but Foster beat us to it,” Severide said.

“We plan on celebrating with you all at Molly’s after shift tomorrow night, if you all would care to join us,” Stella said.

Everybody affirmed that they would be there and everyone took their turn congratulating the new couple. It wasn’t long before the bells went off, and they all ran to their rigs.  
____

When they got on scene, it was what appeared to be a standard residential fire in a two-story suburb home. Once everyone was out of the truck, Casey started calling out orders for the primary search. Gallo, Herrmann and Ritter went to the second story. Cruz and Severide went to the basement. Casey called Kidd to come with him onto the main floor. As soon as they had their partners by their side and their masks on, they ran into the flames. 

Ritter was the first one out with a middle aged woman. He brought her to the paramedics and asked if there was anyone else inside. The woman said her two kids had been playing on the main level with her husband. 

Boden relayed the message over the radio. Herrmann and Gallo quickly cleared the second floor. Severide and Cruz did the same in the basement, and radioed that they came up a back staircase, so Herrmann and Gallo left out the front of the house. 

Casey and Kidd made their way from the living area to the dining room. They didn't have much time. The fire was now on the ceilings above them. 

"There!" Kidd called to Casey. The two kids were huddled under the table. 

Cruz and Severide rounded the corner into the dining room from the kitchen. They still couldn't find the dad. 

Casey sent the two squad members out with the children. He and Kidd just had an office and a bathroom to check. They quickly cleared the bathroom, then moved into the office, yelling, "Fire department, call out!" every so often. 

Casey was the first one to see the father. "Kidd!" he yelled, "over there!" 

She looked. There was a man, seemingly unconscious, underneath the desk. 

Boden called for an update.

"We found him, Chief! We're on our way out, " Casey replied. 

As it turns out, the man was still somewhat conscious, so Casey and Kidd each took a side and helped him walk.

They made their way back through the dining room, then into the living room. The ceiling was starting to cave. They had to hurry. 

But they weren't fast enough. The ceiling gave out, and a bed from the room above fell through the floor. 

In one swift motion, Casey got out from under the man's arm, and pushed him and Kidd toward the door from behind. Then, his world went black.


	6. Chapter 6

Kidd saw the ceiling starting to cave and walked faster toward the door. She would never be able to talk Kelly into letting her stay on active duty during this pregnancy if she got hurt. The sounds around her intensified. The ceiling gave way and she felt herself pushed from behind, half-falling into the door. Dang that was close. She pushed the door open and escorted the man out, handing him over to Gallo and Ritter, who helped him to the ambulance. Kidd looked to her side to make sure Casey was still with them. He was gone. Shit. She whipped around, looking back into the house. She could see him on the ground, pinned underneath a bed that must have fallen through from the second floor. 

“MAYDAY, MAYDAY!” She called. “CASEY’S DOWN! I NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE!”  
___  
Brett was entertaining the kids who, besides a couple minor burns, were okay, when she heard ruckus by the front door. She heard the words “Casey’s down.” Her head snapped up just in time to see Severide, Kidd, Cruz, and Herrmann run back inside. 

She gasped and her mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario. “Casey’s down,” after all, was pretty vague. He could have fallen through a floor. Something might have fallen on him. He could be unconscious, or worse - Snap out of it, Brett, she reprimanded herself. She was no good to him if she couldn’t keep her cool to help him when he came out. 

“We need a backboard in here!” Severide called over the radio. 

That was all Brett needed. She jumped into action, handing the backboard and C-collar off to Ritter, who ran it into the house. She waited by the gurney, worrying on her lower lip. “Please be okay,” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. Seconds felt like hours. Why weren’t they coming out yet?  
___  
Foster finished bandaging up the father’s arm, glancing over her shoulder every so often to see if the captain was out yet. She told the family they were good to go, just to make sure they changed the bandaging on the burns and kept it moisturized. Then the family walked away from the ambulance, embracing each other and talking about how glad they were that they were all okay. 

Foster blew out a puff of air. Hopefully all of 51’s family came out of this okay, too.  
_____

With each passing second, Brett became more worried. Tears leaking down her cheeks as she fought to keep a level head. If Matt was going to walk out on his own, they should have been out by now. 

Finally, she saw the foot of the backboard passing through the smoky doorway. 

Kidd briefed Brett as Cruz, Severide, Herrmann, and Ritter sat the captain down on the gurney. “He took a nasty hit to the back. He was pinned underneath a bed for a couple minutes. Fall must have knocked him unconscious, but he’s breathing.”

They wheeled him to the ambulance and hoisted him into the back. Foster stayed close, and Brett jumped in with him while the firefighters ran to help the other members of 51 knock down the flames.

Sylvie opened Matt’s coat and started taking his vitals. 

“Vitals are stable. He’s just -” she cut off. 

Matt groaned and opened his eyes. He started to shift, but Brett put a hand on him to stop him.

“Don’t move,” she commanded, sliding her hand down to his and grabbing it. “Do you know where you are?” she asked when a look of confusion flashed over his face. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep herself in paramedic mode over the terrified and concerned fiance mindset. Do your job, Brett. You can get personal later.

He blinked a couple times hard. “Back of the ambo by the looks of it.” His back was fucking killing him. He must’ve blacked out from the pain. Another wave of pain coursed through his back and he winced.

“Matt -” she began, but he cut her off.

“I’m okay, Sylvie,” he said, gently squeezing her hand. “Really. My back is just a little sore where I got hit.”

She looked at him suspiciously. That wince meant more than just a small sore.

“I’m fine,” he stubbornly assured her. “Can I get up now?”

She furrowed her brow, but nodded reluctantly. She couldn’t see anything obviously wrong with him. Might as well let him move while she could monitor him.

As he started sitting up, a sharp pain sliced through his back and his legs went numb. 

Sylvie saw him grimace, then a look of panic crossed his face and he froze. 

“Matt?” she asked, voice laced with fear.

“My, uh, legs just went numb,” he said.

Sylvie helped him lay back down and pulled his boots and fire pants off. “Can you feel this?” she asked, pressing into his thigh.

“Yeah.”

She repeated the process on both legs, moving to his knee, then just above the ankle, and finally, his toes. He answered yes to each. 

“My toes are just tingly now,” he said, “my back still hurts like hell, though.”

“You’ve probably got a stress fracture on one of your vertebrae, and it’s probably pinching your spinal cord. We’ve gotta get you to Med for an x-ray,” Brett said, and looked to Foster. 

Foster, who had been standing just within ear shot, nodded that she had heard Brett. 

Boden, also nearby, approached Sylvie. “You stay there as long as you need to. Kidd will cover you until we can get a relief medic in,” he said.

“Thanks, Chief,” Sylvie said, then pulled one of the doors shut.

Boden closed the other door behind her and slapped the glass, giving Foster the go ahead to leave.  
____

Sylvie sat next to Matt on the short ride to Med, holding his hand in both of hers, but she said nothing. If it weren’t for the way she held his hand just a little bit tighter than necessary, he could almost be convinced that she wasn’t worried. 

When they got to Med, he listened as Sylvie filled in the staff on what had happened and gave her a small wave as he was wheeled back to x-ray. 

Sylvie returned the wave then went to help Foster fill out the paperwork. They got more gauze and burn ointment, loaded the gurney back into the ambo, then she sent Foster on her way.

Tears started forming in her eyes as she watched 61 pull back onto the road, then she turned back toward the hospital. Sitting on a bench just outside the ER doors, she dropped her head into her hands and took a couple deep breaths. If she was right about the stress fracture, that was a relatively easy fix, but the thought of what could have happened was a scary one. He could have still been conscious after the fall and tried to stand on his own, which could have severed the spinal cord. He could have been hit on the head instead of the back. “But he didn’t, and he wasn’t,” she told the air in front of her. She really needed to pull it together. She blew out a puff of air and wiped her face dry, then went back in to check on her fiance.  
___  
Maggie saw Brett walk in and told her which exam room they had Casey in. Brett thanked her, turning in the direction she was pointed.

Matt smiled when he saw her rounding the corner. “Hey,” he said.

She sat on the bed beside him and leaned down to give him a kiss. 

Dr. Halstead entered the room with x-rays in hand, lightly clearing his throat to announce his presence. 

Sylvie sat up and grabbed Matt’s hand, not moving from her place beside him.

“Looks like you were right, Brett,” Will said, then to Casey, “You’ve got a stress fracture on T-12. We’ll need to do a vertebroplasty to correct it, then you’ll be off duty for at least 6 weeks, but it could have been a lot worse.”

Casey felt Brett squeeze his hand again. He squeezed back. He was grateful she was here with him. “How soon can we do the surgery?” he asked.

Brett absently rubbed circles on his hand with her thumb while he and Will talked logistics. They got the surgery scheduled for Wednesday, and decided to let Casey go home with a back brace once he promised to take it easy.  
___

Brett called Boden with the update as soon as they got home and she helped Casey onto the couch. Boden gladly gave Sylvie the next few shifts off so she could stay home and help Casey.

When she got off the phone, she sat next to him on the couch and gently wrapped her arms around him. “You gave me quite the scare,” she said softly, tears pricking her eyes as she finally let herself drop her defenses. They were home now. She’d given her emotions an inch, they took a mile. Watery eyes quickly overflowed, coursing streams down her face. “God, Matt, I was so afraid you wouldn’t get out of there.”

“But I did,” he said, pulling her close. “Sylvie, baby, I’m okay,” he said soothingly, “I’ll be back in tip-top shape in no time.” He didn’t know if what he said registered with her, but he kept rubbing her back until she quieted. 

She brought her arm up to wipe the tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry. I just - when I heard Stella calling out, my head went straight to the worst, and all I could think about was all the stuff we haven’t gotten to do yet.”

She hiccoughed and he reached up to brush a stray tear from her cheek. “Well don’t you worry,” he said, cupping her face with one hand. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder then took his hand and intertwined their fingers. “Good,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Hopefully you don’t ever have to find out,” he said softly, and pressed a kiss into her forehead. “I love you, Sylvie.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered back.


	7. Chapter 7

After shift, everyone at 51 headed home. They all met at Molly’s that night to celebrate Severide and Kidd’s wedding, but the mood was subdued. They all felt it deeply when one of their own was injured. The only benefit of the somber atmosphere was that nobody really noticed that Stella wasn’t drinking.   
___  
When the newlyweds got into bed that night, Stella cuddled into her husband. Something had been bugging her and she needed to talk about it. “Casey saved my ass today,” she said. “That bed should’ve taken out all three of us.”

“All four of you,” Kelly corrected, letting a hand rest on his wife’s still-flat-for-now abdomen. “What happened in there, anyway?”

“Well, you know up to the part where we sent you out with those kids.”

“Yeah. I was worried about you. The ceiling didn’t look good when we went out, and you two were still behind us.”

“You’re telling me. By the time we found the dad and got him on our shoulders, the ceiling was bowing pretty bad. All of a sudden, it got really loud, and I barely had time to register what was happening. I remember I sped up, then it felt like I got pushed out the door. I thought maybe I’d just tripped on something until I realized Casey wasn’t on the other side of our vic anymore.” She smiled sadly. “After that, it was just autopilot, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if things had gone differently.”

“Stella,” Kelly said softly. “You’ll torture yourself thinking like that. You got out in time, and Casey’s going to be okay.”

“But would’ve he done it differently if it weren’t a pregnant woman with him?” Try though she might, it was really hard to shake the feeling of guilt over Casey getting hurt.

Kelly shook his head. “That’s probably why Casey paired himself with you, sure, but he would have done the same thing for me, for Gallo, for anyone. Don’t blame yourself.”

“Classic Casey,” Kidd shook her head. “Does the man put himself ahead of anyone?”

“Not in an emergency situation,” Kelly said. “That’s what makes him such a great captain.”

Starting to feel a little less guilty, Stella let it drop. She knew Kelly was right about Casey doing the same thing for anyone. It was just hard when that ‘anyone’ was her. She snuggled closer to her husband and was soon falling asleep. It had been a long day.  
____

Casey hated being idle. Sylvie wouldn’t let him do anything. Normally, this would be frustrating at best, but moving hurt so much that he found he didn’t mind her doting on him. Not to mention the fact that he was still pretty freaked out from suddenly losing feeling in his legs. He didn’t actually know what he would have done without her. She got him anything and everything he wanted or needed, and she seemed to have a plethora of fun stories up her sleeve. If he thought the time was passing slowly like this, he imagined he truly would have gone crazy without her. 

When the time for his surgery finally came, Sylvie stayed with him as long as she could, then gave him a long, sweet kiss before he was taken to the OR. She trusted the people at Med, and she knew the procedure he was going through was incredibly common, but the little voice in the back of her head kept running her through the ‘what if’s.’ She hoped it would stop once he was out of this.  
_____

Two hours later, Maggie came to get her. “Doctor says everything went well. He’s starting to wake up, but fair warning,” she said, walking with Sylvie to Matt’s room, “he’s still a little loopy from the anesthesia.” 

“Thanks, Maggie,” Sylvie said, texting an update to Stella before she entered the room. 

Matt was staring out the window when she walked into the room. “Hi, handsome,” she said, pulling a chair up beside the bed.

“Heyyyy,” he said, turning his head toward Sylvie. “Sivvy! You’re here! Guess what!”

“Hm?”

“Der’s cement in my spine. I’m like a skyscraper! And I do construction! Can you believe how awesome that is?”

Sylvie giggled. “You’re a lot shorter than a skyscraper, darling.”

“But Sivvyyyy,” he said, eyes wide, trying to make her understand. “My SPINE has CEMENT.”

“Just one vertebra, and only a little bit.”

“I know! I’m like a skyscraper!” He paused for a moment, face contorting into some sort of confusion. “Do you think skyscrapers’ backs hurt? Because my back hurts.”

“You just had surgery, baby, of course it hurts. When the nurse comes in, maybe she can give you something for it.”

“Okayy.” Matt nodded lazily. “Sivvy?”

“What, darling?”

“I’m thirsty.” 

Sylvie held a cup of water for him and put the straw to his lips. He took a few sips then let his head plop back against the pillow. His eyes were getting heavy.

“I think I need a nap,” he said. “I love you, Sivvy.”

She put a hand on his chest and kissed him. “I love you too,” she replied, but he was already asleep.  
____  
He woke up again an hour and a half later. The bright afternoon sun shining through his window hit him right in the eyes. He groaned and turned his head.

“Hey,” Sylvie said softly. 

“You’re here,” he said, reaching for her hand.

“I haven’t left,” she replied, switching from her chair to sit beside him on the bed and interlacing their fingers. “How are you feeling?”

“Back hurts, but it’s a different kind of hurt, so better, I guess.”

She gave him a small smile. “That’s good. Do you need anything?”

“You wouldn’t happen to have some water, would you?”

Sylvie reached for the bottle. 

“You’re incredible,” he said, gratefully accepting the water and taking a long, slow drink.

“Matt?” she asked when he’d finished. “Do you remember talking to me earlier?”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Like before I went into surgery?”

“I’ll take that as a ‘no,’ then,” she giggled.

“Why? Did I do something embarrassing?”

She shook her head. “The anesthetics had you pretty out of it.”

He wasn’t surprised, but a realization hit him. People said and did stupid things when they were drugged up. “Sylvie?” he asked carefully, “Did you take a video of anything?”

“I thought about it,” she said honestly, “but I didn’t. You can look through my phone, if you don’t believe me.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “No, I trust you.”

She leaned down to give him a kiss. He wrapped his free hand around her back. “Thank you for being here, Sylvie.” 

“I’ll always be here for you, Matt.”

They shared a smile and another kiss, then a nurse came knocking on her hourly rounds.   
____

Two weeks later, Matt was feeling much better. His back was still a little sore, and the skin was tight from the incision, but the doctors said that those things were to be expected. 

He had talked Sylvie into going back to work. The doting (that had been appreciated prior to and immediately after the surgery while everything still hurt) was now starting to get on his nerves. He loved that she cared so much, but he needed a little space to breathe. Thankfully, she hadn’t been hurt when he expressed this to her. She was glad he was feeling better.   
____

Severide and Kidd were coming over to visit after Sylvie's first shift back and had offered to give her a ride, which she gladly accepted. They arrived early to pick her up.

When she got in the car, Brett was immediately bombarded by two entirely different things. Severide asked her how Casey was doing. At the same time, Stella said, “Brett, I need you to back me up on this.”

She was the tiniest bit overwhelmed. Normally, Stella wasn’t awake enough this early to make a coherent thought. Given that she had probably only interacted with Severide this morning, she probably wanted back up on some disagreement between the two of them and, in this small of a space with a full 24 hours ahead of them, that was ground Brett wasn’t sure she wanted to cross. She decided to start with Severide’s question.

“He’s doing a lot better. He’s been starting to get up and around a lot more the last few days. Pretty bad case of cabin fever, though."

"Not surprised. Casey never was good at relaxing," Severide replied. "Hopefully he'll go for a walk or ten today so he's bearable when we get there tomorrow."

They chuckled, then Stella whipped around in her seat, staring down Brett. "Girl. Help a sister out. I'm begging you. Kelly's got this protein powder at home and the smell is KILLING me. Tell him he's gotta get rid of it. Or agree with me and tell Casey to tell him he's gotta get rid of it. Either way. It's gotta go."

Sylvie shook her head. "I hate to break it to you, Kidd, but you're pregnant. There's a lot of smells that are going to be unbearable that you never had a problem with or even noticed before."

Severide laughed. "Ha! It stays."

Stella turned back to face the front and pouted. "You were supposed to take my side." 

"I'm sure I'll be in your shoes soon enough," Brett laughed, “then you can make fun of me for all the things I’ll probably have issues with.” 

Her mind began to wander to the day she and Matt decided to have kids. Would they have sons or daughters? Maybe one of each? Who would they look more like? A smile crept across her face as she pictured them as a family. Trips to the park, hanging out with the crew at 51, and - hopefully - more love than they could imagine. 

Stella broke her out of her daydream. "Hello? Earth to Brett! Hey!"

Sylvie shook her head. "What?"

"You're lost in space. We're at work. Kelly's already gone inside."

"Oh," she blushed. "Sorry."

"What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I was just thinking about the future.”

“I can’t wait to see your and Casey’s kids. They’re gonna be freakin adorable.” Stella smiled. “But for now, c’mon, Miss dreamy, we’re gonna be late.”

When the two of them walked into the common room, Sylvie was immediately surrounded. Everyone was elated to have her back. They inquired about Casey and were all glad to hear he was doing well. Soon, the bells went off and they went about their day.  
____

At the beginning of one shift, about two weeks later, Severide approached Brett. 

"Hey, Casey left his hat at our place the other night when I drove him back to your place. I keep forgetting it at home. Do you want to swing by after shift and pick it up?"

"Uh, yeah," Brett replied. She rubbed her eyes and set a reminder in her phone for the end of shift. She'd been extra tired lately and didn't trust herself to remember a hat in 24 hours. Between the emotional toll of Matt getting hurt and his restlessness when she was home, her energy was at an all-time low. Too much coffee, she supposed, had started making her feel sick, so she just took to drinking tons of water. She hadn't actually had caffeine in about a week and a half. That probably wasn't helping her tired situation. She put her stuff in her locker and went to the common room for breakfast.  
_____

The day passed slowly. Halfway through shift, the only calls 61 had gotten were an elderly man who had a heart attack and a teenager who tripped on his afternoon jog and sprained his ankle. 

It was only 8pm, but Sylvie was beat. She wished Matt were there so the two of them could snuggle up in his office. She sighed and laid down on her bunk. He'd be back soon enough. Her head hit the pillow and she was soon asleep.   
___

Stella woke her up around 7 the next morning. 

"You feeling okay, Brett? You’ve been out for almost 12 hours."

She furrowed her brow. Had it really been that long? "Uh, yeah," she responded. "I've just been extra tired lately - between planning the wedding and Matt getting hurt. I've been getting plenty of sleep, but I guess the mental load is getting to me."

Stella nodded emphatically. "You let me know if there's anything I can do for you," she said. "Hey, speaking of favors, could you give me a ride home after shift? Kelly wants to go hang out with the squad guys."

"Of course. I'll be glad to have your company," Sylvie replied.   
___

An hour and a half later, the two women were back to the Stellaride apartment, as it had come to be called. After dropping her bags, Stella told Sylvie where the hat was, then went into the kitchen. 

“Brett, get in here!” she called.

Sylvie went to join her friend. “What’s up?”

“Here, smell this. Tell me it’s not awful,” Stella said, shoving Kelly’s container of protein powder.

The sudden strong smell knocked Sylvie backwards. “Whoof!”

“See what I was telling you?!?” Stella exclaimed. “I can’t handle this!”

“Well, yes, but you also shoved it right in my face.” Sylvie chuckled at her friend’s persistence. “Of course it’s going to be strong.”

Stella shook her head. “You’re not gonna take my side on this one, are you?”

“Sorry, Kidd,” Sylvie shrugged. “How do you handle yourself at the firehouse? There’s so many strong smells there -- and that’s without being pregnant.”

“I actually don’t know,” Stella replied. “I have my 12 week doctor's appointment tomorrow, though, so at least we'll finally be able to tell them."

"You're lucky they haven't figured it out yet, really." 

"Yeah, I'm surprised we haven't spilled the beans yet."

Sylvie nodded. When you spent a full 24 hours with people you were as close to as they were with everyone at 51, secrets were scarce. "But, if you think about it," she said, a realization dawning on her, "You told me right away, then Foster and Matt found out not long after. We're usually the first to call each other out on little changes."

"You've got a point. . . I mean, Herrmann has been busting my balls for being tired at Molly's -"

"And everyone bought your story about getting an early strain of the flu, especially after Severide stayed home with you for a couple days."

"Damn," Stella whispered. 

The friends sat in comfortable silence for a minute.

"Wait," Brett said, "you said it's your 12 week appointment tomorrow?"

Stella nodded. "Before you say it - I know the actual end of the trimester is 16 weeks. Kelly and I talked about it and, as long as everything looks good tomorrow, we decided to tell everyone early."

"I hope it goes well," Sylvie said, smiling. 

"Thanks," Stella replied. She glanced at the time. "Casey waiting for you?"

Brett looked at her watch. "Oh, pickles, it's almost noon already. Do you wanna join Matt and me for lunch?"

Stella declined and sent Sylvie on her way. "Tell your man I say hi."

"Will do. Good luck tomorrow. "

"Thanks. See you next shift."

"See you," Sylvie said, then left her friend's apartment. She texted Matt that she was on her way home.   
_______

Two days later, they were all back at 51. Casey was only allowed to operate the call switch, but he was delighted to be out of the apartment. It would make the next two weeks until he could go back to active duty much more bearable.

Stella's doctor had said everything was looking good with the baby, so as soon as Kelly was done with his morning officers' meeting, she met him in the chief's office. She had asked Brett to come with her for moral support, and Severide motioned for Casey to stay there with him.

"Chief, we have something we need to tell you," Kelly said. 

Boden took stock of the four men and women in his office. He quirked an eyebrow at his squad lieutenant. 

Stella looked at her husband. Kelly reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers. She addressed Boden, "Chief, I'm pregnant." 

Boden's face lit up and he jumped out of his chair. "Stella Kidd, get over here!" he exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. When he released her a moment later, he looked suspiciously at Brett and Casey. "Are you two in here to tell me the same thing?"

Sylvie quickly shook her head. "No - at least, if we are, it's news to me." She looked to her fiance. "But we're definitely hoping to be someday."

Matt smiled back at her. "We just want to get through the wedding first."

Boden nodded, then turned back to Kidd. "So what does this mean for you?"

"If it's okay with you, Chief, I'd like to stay on truck as long as I can."

Boden looked to his truck captain, a question in his eyes. "This okay with you?"

Casey nodded. "Kidd talked to me about a month ago, before the accident."

"So you two have it worked out?" Boden asked.

"Yes, Chief," Kidd and Casey replied simultaneously. 

"Well, then congratulations you two," Boden said to the married couple. "There's nothing quite like becoming a parent."

"Thanks, Chief."

"When are you two planning on telling the others?" Boden asked.

Stella shrugged. "How about now?"

Boden smiled, and the five of them walked out to the common room. 

"Everyone, gather around," Boden called. He waited for a moment while everyone turned their attention to him. "I wanted to let you all know we'll be adding to our ranks."

Everyone looked around, confused. All of their slots were full. 

Herrmann finally spoke, "Who's gaining a spot, Chief?" 

Boden had a glint in his eye. "Starting today, we're adding a temporary spot on truck." 

"So when's the new guy getting here?" Mouch asked.

Stella couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed Kelly's hand. "He - or she - is already right in here," she said, placing a hand over her abdomen.

The members of 51 erupted in a chorus of congratulations. Then Gallo spoke up, "Does this mean you're leaving us?"

"Not a chance, Gallo!" Kidd replied enthusiastically. "I'm gonna stay as long as I can, have myself a baby, then I'll be right back before you know it."

Gallo smiled. Stella had immensely helped him a number of times over the years, and he cherished her friendship. Seeing her leave would have been hard. 

With that, everyone resumed their chatter until the bells went off and it was back to work.


	8. Chapter 8

Another two weeks passed of Brett going to work and Casey, despite being allowed to do light work, being completely restless. After last shift, they’d had the department Christmas Party at Molly’s. Two days later, finally, six weeks had passed since Matt’s surgery, and the doctors cleared him to return to active duty. His first morning back, Sylvie was not feeling well. She didn’t know why, but her stomach was tied up in knots. 

“Babe, are you feeling alright?” Matt asked her.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied. “I’m just a little nauseous. Probably just nerves.”

He raised an eyebrow. Why was she nervous?

“It’s silly,” she said, shaking her head. “In my head, I have no reasons that I would be feeling nervous, but my stomach begs to differ. Maybe I'm just afraid of you getting hurt again.”

“You’re sure you’re not coming down with something?” he asked, putting his hand against her forehead. She didn’t appear to be running a temperature. Before she could answer, though, she bolted. Soon after, he could hear her vomiting in the bathroom. 

When she came back out, Matt had put on his coat and grabbed his bag. 

“After that, I think I should stay home today,” she said. 

He nodded his agreement. “If you need anything, let me know.” He pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the forehead. “I mean it.”

“I will,” she agreed. “Have a good day and be careful.” She gave him her best serious look and wagged a finger at him.

“Okay,” he chuckled and pulled her back into a hug. “I love you.”

She gave him a quick squeeze. “I love you too.”

They parted, then, and Matt turned toward the door. Sylvie was going to sit on the couch, but another wave sent her running to the bathroom. Matt wished he could stay home with her, but he knew that wouldn’t make anything better, and he was more likely to catch it - whatever 'it' was. “Darn stomach bugs,” he muttered, opening the door, and heading to work.  
____

A few hours and a number of trips to the bathroom later, Sylvie’s nausea finally began to subside, and it was replaced with hunger. She’d probably thrown up everything that was in her stomach and then some. She looked at her watch. Thirty minutes had passed since her last vomiting spell. Part of her wanted to wait another half hour, just to make sure, but a larger part of her just wanted some food before she started getting cranky. She decided to go make herself some toast. At least that would be easy on the stomach. 

She ate slowly, afraid the two pieces of buttered bread would come back up. Thankfully, they stayed down. She was still pretty hungry, so she went back to the kitchen for another couple pieces and some peanut butter.

When she opened the jar, the smell punched her in the face. She shook her head to clear it. Had the peanut butter gone rancid? She took another sniff. No, it was just strong. Has it always been that strong? She furrowed her brow, then a realization hit her. “Oh, pickles,” she groaned. The peanut butter was abandoned on the counter as she grabbed her jacket and keys and walked out the door.  
_____

Firehouse 51 was having an average day. Without distractions, Matt had just enough time in between most of their calls to do his paperwork. Around noon, he decided to call and check on Sylvie. He listened while the phone rang and rang and rang then went to voicemail. She must be taking a nap.

He left a message: “Hey beautiful. I’m just calling to see how you’re doing. Everyone here says to tell you they hope you’re feeling better. Foster got paired with McCaully, so she says that you’d better not be sick long. Anyway, lunch is probably going to be ready soon, and I’m sure you don’t want an hour long message, so I should wrap it up. I hope you’re feeling better soon. If there’s anything you need at all, just call me. I love you.”

He double checked that his phone was on vibrate, then returned it to his pocket and headed to the common area for some lunch.  
____

Sylvie was driving home when her phone rang. It was Matt’s ringtone. He was probably just calling to check on her. She let it go to voicemail and drove the rest of the way home. She’d check the message when she got inside. 

After dropping her keys on the table and hanging up her jacket, Sylvie grabbed her phone and the small pharmacy bag. She listened to Matt’s message on the way to the bathroom. She smiled. He was so sweet. She sent him a text: sorry I missed you. Feeling better. Should be able to come back next shift. Tell Foster I say sorry. I love you, too. See you in the morning.

That would have to do. Hopefully they’d be too busy for him to call back. She didn’t want to talk to him until he got home if this was going to turn out how she thought it would. 

Two long minutes later, her phone timer went off. She swallowed hard and let herself look at the small stick on the counter. “Oh my goodness,” she whispered. She double checked the key on the back of the box, comparing it with the indicator on the stick. 

She put her hand over her mouth and a huge smile crossed her face. A spurt of laughter escaped her. Now, she really couldn’t wait for Matt to get home.  
____

Truck 81 pulled back into the station after a call that came in during lunch and lasted most of the afternoon. Casey hurried to scrub down his gear, then retreated to his office to do the paperwork. Hopefully he would have time for a quick nap before another call came in. 

When he got to his desk, he realized he hadn’t heard back from Sylvie yet. He checked his phone and saw her text. He smiled and sent a quick response: glad to hear it. See you in the morning :)

He was met with a quick reply. She just sent him a smiley face back. 

Severide knocked on the door, and Matt looked up from his phone. 

"What's the smirk for?"

"You should see yourself when you're talking to Brett," Severide replied. "You're grinning like a kid on Christmas."

"Next year you're going to have a kid on Christmas."

"What are you talking about? I've had Kidd on Christmas for the last five years."

Casey sighed. "Smart ass."

Severide laughed. "Got a question for you."

"Shoot."

"How crazy do you wanna get for your bachelor party?"

Casey shrugged. "It doesn’t have to be anything too crazy. As long as Sylvie is still willing to marry me at the end of it. . ."

The bells interrupted him, and the friends ran to their rigs.  
____  
Sylvie ordered herself a pizza for supper. While she was waiting for it to arrive, she called the doctor’s office where she and Matt had their physicals scheduled in two weeks. She talked to one of the nurses and asked if there was anything she needed to do differently in the next two weeks. The nurse advised her accordingly and said she would tell the doctor about needed a referral to an OB-GYN.

When the pizza arrived, she ate a few slices then put the rest in the fridge. She took stock of the food in there. She had a good selection of healthy options. She would definitely be needing them. She smiled. This was really happening. She just hoped she'd be over the morning sickness for the wedding in two months.  
____

The rest of the night at 51 passed quietly. Casey was able to finish most of his paperwork by ten that night. He had just laid down on his bunk when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Casey called, as he sat up.

Kidd came in. When she saw Casey on the bed, she said “Oh, sorry, Captain. I didn’t realize you were - “

Casey cut her off. “Don’t worry about it. I just got here. What can I do for you, Kidd?”

“I was just wondering if you’ve heard from Brett at all today. I texted her before that call around lunch to see how she was feeling. No response.”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Casey rubbed his brow. “I must have forgotten to tell everyone when we got back. She said she’s feeling better, should be back next shift.”

Kidd grinned. “Good. Place isn’t the same without her.” She started to back out the door. 

“Hey, Kidd,” Casey said.

When she poked her head back around the corner, her eyes were watering.

“Something you want to talk about?”

Kidd shook her head, but didn’t turn to leave.

“Because I get the feeling you wouldn’t have waited until basically everyone else was asleep to ask me about Sylvie.” 

Stella sat down in Matt’s desk chair. He was right. “I need to know something.”

He gestured for her to continue.

“Kelly tells me not to worry about it, and it’s probably just the hormones talkin’ - ” she paused. “That accident - Would’ve it gone differently if it weren’t me?”

A look flashed across his face that was a combination of surprise and confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You rarely partner with me. Usually, you take Gallo and send me with Mouch or one of the engine guys. The morning of the accident, you sent Gallo with engine and kept me with you. At all of the calls today, you did the same thing. Do you have a problem with me staying on? Is me being pregnant an issue?” 

“Of course not,” he said. “I meant it when I told you that I would respect what you said you were comfortable with. If Sylvie were in your position, I -” he paused, thinking about whether or not what he was about to say was true. “When Gabby found out she was pregnant, she didn’t tell me right away. I was going through some other stuff at the time, but I wish she would have told me sooner.” He shook his head. There was no need to go down that rabbit hole. “ Anyway, she was the one who wanted to move to arson. If she would have told me she wanted to stay on truck, I would have let her. And someday, when Sylvie and I decide to have kids, I’ll be okay with her staying here as long as she wants.”

“You’re sure?” Stella asked.

“Absolutely,” he assured her. “I’m keeping you with me so I know that you’re protected. Losing a baby -” he took a deep breath - six years later, it was easier to talk about, but a person never quite got over something like that. “Losing a baby is an awful thing for anyone to go through. I want to do my part in preventing anyone else from having to experience that.”

Stella got up from the chair and sat on the bed beside Casey. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he put a hand on her back. They were only like that for half a minute until someone cleared their throat in the office doorway.

“Am I interrupting something?” Severide asked.

Casey patted Kidd’s back as she retracted her arms.

“Thanks for having my back, Captain,” she said, leaving his office and giving her husband a kiss on the way by.

Severide returned the kiss from his wife, then turned back to his friend. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Casey responded. “How much of that did you hear?”

“I got most of it. She’s been worried about it since you got hurt.”

Casey shrugged. “No reason to be, but what she’s going through is something I’ll never understand.”

Severide shook his head. “If she were under anyone else, I don’t think I’d be comfortable with her staying on active duty. I almost lost her once, Casey. That’s once too much.”

“I know,” Matt responded. “And you know that I’d do just about anything to keep my people safe.”

“I know,” Severide replied. He walked over and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Thanks, Casey.”

With that, Severide returned to his office and Casey laid back down.

All this talk about pregnant women had him thinking. He wanted kids more than anything. Sylvie had said she wanted to wait until after the wedding, and he respected that, but maybe she’d be open to starting to try now. Maybe he’d ask when he got home.

He closed his eyes. It was so easy to picture her with child - with their child; her holding their baby. The image was so beautiful. She would make such a great mom. A smile danced across his lips as he drifted off to sleep.

___  
The morning was slow for ambo 61. All three of the other companies were still out after their first call, having gotten a second as they were finishing the first, so Brett and Foster decided to cook up some lunch, despite it not being their turn. Foster mainly tackled dishes, as Brett was a woman on a mission and a much better cook. 

They had prepared some turkey fillets, which Sylvie had stuffed with either bacon and provolone or spinach and feta, so the meat lovers and the health-conscious both had satisfying options. Foster put together a fruit salad, and Sylvie seasoned and cooked up some wild rice to go with the turkey. She also made a batch of plain mashed potatoes for the more picky eaters in the group.

Truck, engine, and squad rolled back in close to noon. After scrubbing down their gear, everyone filtered in from the apparatus floor just as Sylvie was pulling the turkey out of the oven.

“Perfect timing, guys!” Foster called. “Lunch is ready!”

“My heroes!” Stella exclaimed, pulling her friends into an exhausted hug. She led the line through getting food, and everyone was soon seated eating.

Many murmurs of appreciation could be heard throughout the room. Everyone loved when Brett cooked, though it didn’t happen often. She was easily the best in the house. 

Casey grabbed a plateful and kissed his fiance on the temple. “Have I told you lately how amazing you are?”

She grinned through a mouthful. When she swallowed, she returned his kiss. “Sounds vaguely familiar,” she teased.

“Well, I’ll have to tell you more,” he said, taking another big bite. 

“This is amazing, Brett. Your kid is gonna be so spoiled,” Herrmann commented from across the table. 

A few heads turned toward him. 

Sylvie shot him a look, and he caught himself. He quickly tried to cover: “You know, someday, if - uh - if you two decide to have one or two or whatever.” He tried to shrug nonchalantly. 

Matt looked at Sylvie, an eyebrow arched. 

She apologized with her eyes. “Later,” she whispered.

Mouch, who was half-engrossed in the tele and had only heard part of Herrmann’s statement, piped up, “You two are having a kid?”

The little bit of conversation between the other members of 51 who weren't already intrigued stopped on a dime. They all turned to look at Brett and Casey.

Sylvie sighed and bit her lower lip. If anyone had managed to buy Herrmann’s backtracking, they didn’t now. 

“Well,” Casey said, shrugging, “I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”

Brett swallowed the bite she’d just taken. “We were going to tell you all next week after we had a chance to go to the doctor,” she explained. “But, yes, we just found out that we are expecting.”

Nobody seemed to mind that Brett and Casey originally wanted to wait to tell them. They all took turns offering their congratulations to the beaming couple, then they returned to their plates and finished lunch quickly, hoping to have time to rest before the next call came in.  
___

After some much needed rest, Matt grabbed two cigars and quietly left his office. He found Severide and held up the cigars in a silent question. Kelly rose from his desk and silently exited his office. Normally, they wouldn't do this in the winter, but it was an extraordinarily nice January day in Chicago. 

As soon as the friends were outside and had gotten their cigars lit, Severide asked, "So, Dad, how does it feel?"

"Don't you 'Dad' me, Dad," Casey teased, glancing sideways at him. 

"Okay, fair enough," Severide chuckled. "But really, how do you feel?"

Matt blew out a puff of smoke. "Excited for the most part. It feels like I've been waiting forever for this moment."

"Stella is thrilled that we're going to have babies so close together."

Matt nodded. "If all goes well," he said, taking another long drag. 

He'd said it so quietly that Kelly almost didn't hear him. When he did hear it, though, a sympathetic look flashed over his face. He asked carefully, "Do you know how far along she is?"

Casey shook his head. "Sylvie said she missed a lot of the signs, that she put it up to stress after I got that stress fracture. A couple months, maybe, but I don't know." He paused, staring off at the Chicago skyline. "Gabby was almost three months when she lost the baby. We were so close to making it out of the danger zone."

"Stella is starting to relax a bit since we passed 12 weeks."

"Remind me how far you are now?" Casey asked. 

"Our 12 week appointment was -" Severide trailed off, trying to remember. "Shit, man, time just blends together."

"Don't I know it," Matt replied.

There was a small break in their conversation. The bells went off and they got ready to run back inside, but the page was just for Ambo. They watched as Foster and a slightly groggy Brett jumped into the rig and pulled out into the street, lights on and sirens blaring. 

As they turned out of sight, Kelly looked back to his friend. Noting the look on his face, he said, "Hard, isn't it?"

"She's my girl. I can't help but worry a little," Casey said. "I know she can handle herself, but not being able to watch out for her on every call is going to be difficult to deal with, especially now."

Severide nodded empathetically. "Foster's feisty enough. She'll have her back."

Matt nodded. He knew Foster would have Sylvie's six, but it wasn't him. He wanted to personally make sure nothing happened to hurt her or the baby. He supposed it was something he'd have to get over soon. 

Their conversation took a turn to the Blackhawks as they finished their cigars then went inside for supper. The paramedics came back unscathed and joined everyone in eating.   
____

The day of their appointment, Matt and Sylvie went out for lunch then headed off to their physicals. After a couple trips around the parking lot, they finally found a spot and walked into the clinic. The receptionist looked up as they approached the counter. “Name?” she asked.

“Matthew Casey and Sylvie Brett,” Matt spoke for both of them. 

“Okay, I’ll tell the doctor you’re here.”

They sat down to wait. Nearly half an hour later, a nurse stepped into the waiting room and called Sylvie’s name. Another nurse came out behind her and called for Matt. 

The two held hands until they got to the doorway. “See you soon,” Sylvie said. She gave his hand a quick squeeze before following the nurse leading her into one exam room while Matt was led into the exam room next to hers.

Matt and Sylvie were each asked all the normal questions before the nurses moved on to asking for a urine sample and taking a blood draw before they sent for the doctor. 

Some fifteen minutes later, the doctor walked into Sylvie’s room. “Miss Brett,” she said, “I’m Dr. Isles. How are you today?” 

“I’m doing well,” Sylvie replied, “just a little tired. It’s been a long day.” She yawned and raised her hand to cover her mouth. 

Taking notice of Sylvie’s engagement ring, Dr. Isles said, “Planning a wedding must be exhausting.” 

“Yeah, and being pregnant on top of it -,” Sylvie replied.

Dr. Isles smiled. “Congratulations. Who’s the lucky dad?” 

“His name is Matt. He’s a captain at Firehouse 51.”

“Is he working right now?”

“No, actually, he’s in the next room over. We decided to make a date out of our annual physicals,” Sylvie joked.

Dr. Isles chuckled, then turned to look over the nurse’s notes. When she had finished reviewing the nurse’s notes, she looked up. Gesturing at Sylvie’s jacket, she said, “You’re a paramedic. Which house?”

“51. I love it there.”

“Same as your fiance,” Dr. Isles observed. “That’s great. When I was younger, I thought about pursuing EMS after graduating high school to save myself some time and money, but I soon discovered I could never do it. There’s not nearly enough order to it.” Dr. Isles quirked a smile. 

“It is crazy,” Sylvie agreed, “and I've had more than my fair share of scary situations, but it’s very rewarding. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like working in a place like this. You never have to worry about traffic or weather or gunfire,” she trailed off. “But I’ve found a whole new family at 51, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”

Dr. Isles smiled at her. “So, have you thought about what you’re going to do when the baby comes along?”

"No, actually. We just found out last week. I'm planning on staying at 51 as long as I can, though."

“Based on the levels of your hormones, you appear to be about eleven weeks along, so you’ll need to schedule prenatal appointments soon -”

“Sorry to interrupt you, but I’d really prefer if Matt could be in here to listen to this with me. Would you mind?”

“Of course,” Dr. Isles responded. She stepped out to see if Matt’s doctor had finished with him. She found him back in the waiting room and waved him over. She introduced herself to him. “I’m with your fiance -”

“Is everything okay?” Matt hurried to ask.

“Yes, everything’s fine,” Dr. Isles responded. “We were about to discuss the baby and she requested you join us.”

Matt visibly relaxed and a smile crossed his face as he followed Dr. Isles back to the exam room. Once there, he took a seat next to Sylvie and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him and placed a hand on his knee as Dr. Isles advised them about what to do to help the pregnancy, referred them to an OB-GYN, and prescribed some prenatal vitamins.   
_________

As they lay in bed that night, Sylvie was unusually quiet. Her brow was furrowed and she was chewing her lower lip as lazily traced circles on Matt’s bare chest. 

He kissed the top of her head. “What’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours?”

When she didn’t answer him right away, he shifted so he could see her face. “Talk to me, Sylvie,” he said softly, a hint of worry in his voice.

“This is all so crazy. There’s so much to do,” Sylvie said finally, looking up to meet his eyes. “We found out so late and, now, we’re nearly a third of the way through. - It’s just a lot, you know?

“Yeah, it is,” he said candidly, “but we’re in this together. Whatever you need - or want -, whenever you need it, I’m here for you - for both of you. I love you, Sylvie, and I can’t wait to start this life with you.”

“I love you too.” Sylvie smiled and curled back into her fiance. Her shoulder tucked under his arm, which began rubbing her back, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Their hands folded together on the side of her abdomen. 

After a beat, he asked, "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

“I don’t really care - as long as he or she is healthy,” she answered honestly, “Bonus points if he or she gets your nose.”

“My nose?” he asked, laughing. 

“Yeah!”she replied, wriggling loose the arm that was pinned between her torso and the bed. “You have a really cute nose!” She used her newly freed hand to poke said nose.

“Okay, whatever you say.” 

“What do you want it to be?” 

“A healthy baby,” he replied candidly. Then, mimicking her comment, “Bonus points if she or he gets your eyes.”

She laughed “Matt, we have the same color eyes.”

“Well,” he said, nuzzling his nose into her hair, “yours are prettier.”

Sylvie smiled and snuggled closer to Matt. He planted a kiss on her forehead, and the two were soon asleep.  
______

The next month and a half flew by. Toward the end of January, Kelly and Stella mentioned that they were looking for a house so they didn’t have to worry about a newborn upsetting the neighbours, and they could have some privacy to raise their family. Matt and Sylvie had also been talking about that and offered to go check out some places with them. 

After much searching, the couples had found two townhouses that were connected at their garages on the lower level. Each unit had a master bedroom with a connected bathroom upstairs. There were two smaller rooms on the second floor that could function as an office space or bedrooms that shared one wall with the neighboring townhouse as well as an additional bathroom. Downstairs, each unit had an open concept kitchen and dining area with a connected living room and half-bath. Finally, in the basement, there was a washer and dryer. 

They hadn’t been planning on living so close to each other, but when they discussed it, they decided it would be perfect. The kids would be sharing bedroom walls, but each couple would have their privacy. The four could easily go back and forth between their houses, so the parents-to-be could give each other breaks when their babies came along. They talked to their realtor and were told they could move in at the end of February.

Somehow, between packing, work, prenatal visits, Valentine’s Day, a bachelorette party and actually - finally - moving, Sylvie had a chance to go dress shopping with Stella and Emily. This adventure was much needed among the stress, and the three had so much finding one that was just right.  
___

A week before Matt and Sylvie’s wedding, Stella had her 20 week visit. Kelly had gotten a relief lieutenant to cover him for a couple hours so he could go with her to the appointment and have lunch with her after. Dr. Cameron had told them last month at their 16 week appointment that they’d be able to learn the gender this week if they wanted to. They’d talked about it and decided they wanted to know so they could start planning names, how they were going to set up the nursery, and gathering supplies.

Stella lay on the bed and pulled her shirt up to expose her midsection. She sucked in a breath when Dr. Cameron rubbed the cold ultrasound gel on her skin. “Does a person ever get used to that?” she asked.

Dr. Cameron chuckled. “Not that I’ve seen. I had two kids of my own and, if anything, the gel only got colder.”

“Great,” Stella grumbled. 

“It’s so worth it, though. You’ll see soon.” Dr. Cameron smiled at her. “Let’s just hope it’s not too soon. Your little one still has plenty of growing to do. Speaking of little one,” she said, moving the wand around Stella’s abdomen, “do you two want to know what it is?” She raised her brows, waiting for an answer. 

Stella and Kelly shared a quick glance before nodding. 

“Okay,” Dr. Cameron said, examining the picture closely. “Any guesses first or should I just tell you?”

Stella shrugged. “Girl, maybe?”

“It’s definitely a girl,” Kelly said.

Dr. Cameron chuckled at Kelly’s confidence. She nodded at the couple. “She is a girl.”

Kelly grabbed Stella’s hand, a smile flooding his face.

“We’re having a little girl!” Stella exclaimed, mirroring Kelly’s smile.

Dr. Cameron gave the couple a second to celebrate, then she moved on to the rest of the examination before sending the happy couple on their way.  
____

On the morning of the fifth of March 2022, despite not setting an alarm, Matt was still awake early. He had stayed the night on the Stellaride side of the townhouses. Sylvie had forbade him from after supper the night before until just before the wedding this afternoon. They may be doing things a little out of the traditional order, but Sylvie wanted a closer-to-traditional wedding, and Matt would be damned if he denied her that. The only reason they were having it at Molly’s instead of a church is because they’d wanted to make sure the guest list stayed small. There was also less transportation to coordinate with the ceremony and reception in the same place.

Matt tossed and turned on Severide’s couch, trying in vain to fall back asleep. After nearly an hour, he decided to get up and go for a run. The tshirt and shorts he’d slept in would have to suffice, since his normal work out clothes were at his house. He shoved his wallet, phone, and keys in a pocket and grabbed a water bottle on the way out the door. 

Brisk March morning air met him as he started jogging down the street. At 5:30 on a Saturday, there was barely anyone out in their cozy neighborhood. He turned toward the park and ran a few laps around the pond. In the summer, he imagined there would be mosquitoes, but he would hopefully find a new route by then. Now, the pond was mostly iced over and snow still covered everything but the benches and sidewalks. 

After his third circle, he spotted a bench on the far side of the park. His jog slowed to a walk as he approached it. He took a long drink from his bottle, pacing in front of the bench to cool down. Eventually, he sat down. He stared off into space. Today, he was getting married. A quick glance at his watch told him he had about five and a half hours. He would only need maybe half an hour of that to get through the shower and get dressed. Another half hour would usually get them to Molly’s but he would be dealing with rush hour traffic, so he should probably allow a full hour. Sylvie would no doubt try to get there around one to give herself half an hour before the actual ceremony, and he wanted to arrive before her, so - he calculated - he should probably try to leave by 11:15, which meant he still had three and a half hours before he needed to get back to Severide’s townhouse.

In the meantime, he decided he could really go for some coffee and a donut. He didn't know anywhere near this neighborhood, since they'd only lived here a week. A quick Google search showed him a number of options. He chose one and headed that way.

On the walk to the coffee shop, his phone began ringing. He answered, "What's up, Kelly?"

"Where the fuck are you, man?"

"On my way to get some breakfast. You want anything?"

"Are you walking?"

"Yeah - went out for a jog."

"Shit man, when I came out here and you were gone, I was afraid you were getting cold feet."

"Never," Matt chuckled. He had wanted this life for way too long. "So do you want anything or not?"

"Just tell me where you're going. I'll meet you there - with a car," Kelly responded, emphasizing the last part so Casey knew he was being made fun of.   
______

Sylvie stepped out of the shower around eight the morning of her wedding. Stella and Emily had made her promise to let them do her hair and make-up, so she threw on a robe and stepped out to start some tea. Dr. Cameron, her and Stella’s gynecologist, had recommended drinking Rooibos tea because it was rich in antioxidants. After initially making fun of them, Emily had tried some of Sylvie’s (with the added milk and sugar, of course) and declared it to be the best thing since margaritas. 

After the three each had a cupful, Emily and Sylvie went back upstairs to get everything they’d need for her wedding day look. While they were in there, the doorbell rang. 

“Got it!” Stella called from the living room. She lowered her feet from where she’d propped them up on the coffee table and went to the door. She opened it to find her husband holding a box of assorted doughnuts in one hand and a drink carrier with what appeared to be three smoothies in the other.

“We went to check out a food joint this morning,” he explained. “We’re still pretty clueless on what pregnant women can drink that’s not water, but the barista recommended these. She looked like she was about ready to pop, so we figured we could trust her.”

Stella stepped aside to let Kelly in. 

He crossed over the threshold and was moving toward the dining area when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Stella had stopped dead in her tracks and a hand flew to her abdomen. She gasped. Her eyes flew open and she was staring right at him.

“Stella?” Kelly asked, panicked. 

“Kelly, put that stuff down and get your ass over here,” she said.

He quickly obliged and was soon by her side. “What? Stella, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said as she grabbed his hand and put it palm-down on her baby bump. “Just wait,” she said.

“For what?” 

“You’ll see - just wait.”

He still didn’t know what the hell was going on. The expression on her face was unlike anything he’d seen before. She wasn’t in pain -- she never bit her lip when she was in pain. Her eyebrows were raised like they were if she had just asked him a question and was waiting for an answer, but she wasn’t staring him down expectantly. In fact, she was flitting her gaze just about everywhere but at him.

“Come on,” she pleaded softly. 

“What?” Kelly asked again.  
Sylvie and Emily were coming off of the stairs, chatting up ideas for how to do Sylvie’s hair when they heard Stella exclaim, “There!”

“I feel her,” Kelly said, awestruck.

Foster, not having the context of why Kelly had his hand tucked part way under the waistband of Stella’s pants, called, “Get a room, you two!” 

“Guys, we felt the baby move!” Stella said.

At the same time, Sylvie -- who hadn’t noticed the intimate stance of the married couple -- discovered the doughnuts and exclaimed, “Oh my god, Severide, did you bring these?”

Kelly nodded and told her about the smoothies. Meanwhile, Emily and Stella were waiting to see if the baby would move again so everyone could feel. Donut in hand, Sylvie joined them, and Kelly’s phone signalled an incoming text. He read it quickly, then turned to his wife. “I’d better get back to Casey. He just said we’d better not be getting funky on his bed.”

“But what about his couch? Or in his shower?” Stella asked, waggling her eyebrows at him.

“Ew! No!” Sylvie exclaimed. “Your. House. Is. Literally. Right. There.”

They all laughed then Kelly stepped outside, going back to said house to get himself ready and make sure Matt didn’t run off again.  
____

The two couples and Foster had taken this weekend’s shift off, so they had from Wednesday morning until Friday at supper to plan and set up the space for the Saturday afternoon wedding. 

Tables and chairs were situated like they had been for Mouch and Trudy’s wedding. Foster found a long piece of fabric to run down the aisle. Stella had saved a dozen empty beer bottles, put some fake flowers in them -- because Sylvie would have managed to kill real flowers, and she wasn’t much better -- and set them up around the tables. 

Matt had constructed a simple, yet quite cute, arch and stained it to a dark cherry color. Once the stain had dried, Sylvie wrapped some white tulle around it as well as some fake leafy vines. 

Everything looked perfect when Matt and Kelly walked into Molly's around 11:30. 

“Dude, why were you so worried about getting here this early?” Kelly asked.

Matt shrugged. “Better early than late - don’t really want to find out how a bride reacts to her groom being late for the wedding.”

Severide chuckled. “Yeah, that’s probably smart thinking.”

“It is smart thinking. You and I both know exactly how hellish traffic can get around this time on a Saturday.”

“You know what else is smart thinking?

“Hm?”

Rather than answering, Kelly stepped behind the bar and poured a scotch for both of them. He slid one at Matt. They clinked glasses and took a drink. 

After a minute or two of silence, Matt asked, “Hey - did you and Kidd learn what you’re having?”

“Girl.” Kelly downed the rest of his scotch and poured himself another one. “Speaking of - I’ve got a question for you. How much of an ass would I be to ask if we could name her after Shay?” He offered the bottle to Casey, who shook his head. One glass was enough before the wedding.

“Why would that make you an ass? It’s not like Shay was your girlfriend.”

Kelly shrugged. “Dunno. I guess I don’t know how to bring it up.”

“Kidd knows who Shay was, right?”

“Yeah. She asked about her name on the ambo shortly after she came to 51.”

“But does she know who Shay was to you?”

Kelly nodded again. “That conversation came much later.”

Matt was about to ask more but Foster and Kidd came through the door just then and the conversation was forgotten.

“Prepare yourself, Casey,” Foster commanded. 

“Your bride is smokin!” Stella bragged.

Severide came out from behind the bar and Stella tucked herself under his arm.

“Where is she?” Matt asked, turning toward Foster. 

Stella had a pretty good side angle and pulled out her phone, hoping to surreptitiously record his reaction to seeing Sylvie.

Emily smiled at the Captain. “Girl, get in here!” she called once Stella gave her a small nod that she was ready.

Sylvie stepped slowly through the doorway, and Matt’s jaw hit the floor. Her dress had a sweetheart neckline. Two swatches of mesh pulled up and over her breasts and tied behind her neck, and the back was wide open. The skirt of the dress had two slits that ran from her thighs to where the dress stopped at her ankles. More mesh hung loosely over this, ending a couple inches below the fabric. She’d wanted to wear heels, but opted for some strappy flats instead. She strolled over to her soon-to-be-husband. “I didn’t realize I was marrying a codfish,” she quipped.

He snapped his jaw shut. Sylvie made no attempts to hide her amusement as it dropped open again, then shut. Open, then shut again. “Wow,” he finally managed. “You look amazing.”

She went up on her tip-toes to give him a kiss. “You’re not so bad looking yourself, Captain.” She winked at him.

Holy shit was he in trouble. Her sultry tone in combination with that dress and the way she was looking at him - he wasn’t sure he would be able to wait another few hours to get her out of it. 

As if reading his thoughts, she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “You look great in that suit, but I can’t wait to get you out of it.”

He swallowed hard and she giggled. “Fucking hell, Sylvie, tone it down a notch,” he pleaded quietly.

“My bad, Captain,” she whispered back, definitely not toning it down.

Severide cleared his throat to remind them where they were and that they weren’t alone, and the two quickly separated.

Over the next hour, their seats filled as family and friends filtered in. At 1:30, the cellist they’d hired began playing Pachabel’s “Canon in D.” Matt escorted Emily down the aisle. Kelly and Stella followed closely behind before Sylvie walked down the aisle on her dad’s arm. When they reached the front, her dad said, “Sylvie, you’ve been mine for thirty of your thirty-three years. You’ve grown from my sweet little girl into the beautiful woman you are now, and I couldn’t be more proud of you. I love you, kid.”

She wiped a tear from her eye. “Thanks, Dad. I love you, too.” 

They shared a quick embrace, then he turned to Matt. “Take good care of her, son. Welcome to the family, officially.”

“I will,” Matt assured him. “Thank you.” The men shook hands, then Sylvie’s dad went to sit by his wife. 

The officiant lead the couple through the vows and, when they’d both said “I do” and kissed, she addressed the wedding attendees and said, “I present to you all, Matthew and Sylvie Casey!”

With that, the celebration began. Everyone mingled together, sharing drinks and making plans for supper. Sylvie and Matt said their goodbyes and slipped away at only a quarter after three. As much as they loved their firehouse family and their actual families, they really just wanted to spend the rest of the day focusing on each other.


End file.
